Purdie - Blindness?

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Trick

Post   » Fri Aug 07, 2009 10:57 am


Purdie has lost her wheek. We first noticed it at the weekend I think and I was giving her a few days to see if it came back by itself.

She makes a breathy noise instead, just like she's pushing out all the same amount of air that makes that enormous wheek but without the vocals. She has decided to make her normal talky noise now instead, trying to shout it as loud as she can but still making the physical efforts of trying to wheek.

It's possible she strained her vocals somehow, she is the loudest and most persistent wheeker of the herd.

All her behaviour, eating, pooping, diet, environment, energy, happiness, weight is completely normal. Nothing else has changed even a bit.

What causes should I be worrying over?

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Aug 07, 2009 1:37 pm


Is she eating normally? Yawning her mouth? The only other cause I can think of is something lodged in her throat.

Hope her wheek returns soon!

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WEAVER
one pig at a time.

Post   » Fri Aug 07, 2009 3:32 pm


She maybe losing her hearing. I have/had several seniors over the years do what you are describing. Peabody does it ALL of the time. I have not heard that boy do a real wheek in about two years. He tries real hard, opens his mouth big, but just air comes out. You can tell that if his wheeker did work, he would be REALLY yelling at me.

Sorry Purdie has lost her wheeker :(

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Bugs Mom

Post   » Fri Aug 07, 2009 3:36 pm


That's an interesting idea about hearing loss and would make sense. LB lost her wheeker and for the last several months would shriek at me instead. On the other hand she seldom felt the need to say anything so I never thought about hearing.

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Webs
Cavies 'n Cobwebs

Post   » Fri Aug 07, 2009 6:12 pm


Sounds very similar to Chilli. Mostly lost her loud wheek with forced air sound instead. I also think she's losing/lost her hearing as she gets so startled sometimes when I appear or Tiggy catches her unaware. Standard purring and chutting are fine though, if anything she does more of these than she used to.

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Fri Aug 07, 2009 6:15 pm


Without reading back, how old is Purdie?

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Trick

Post   » Sat Aug 08, 2009 1:05 pm


Purdie is coming up for 3.

She's eating normally and not stretching her mouth out or anything like that, I'm pretty sure nothing is stuck.

I hadn't thought of her hearing so I tested her and that's absolutely fine as well. She actually has the best hearing of the lot, and usually leads the wheek chorus as soon as she hears anything promising in the kitchen several rooms away. It's a lot quieter in the house now :/

I'm hoping it comes back, there doesn't seem to be anything to worry about, but she did seem to love to wheek. It hardly seems fair with her being near blind, and with her interstitial cystitis to lose her wheek too!

slavetofuzzy
4 the Good of all Pigs

Post   » Sat Aug 08, 2009 1:13 pm


Mr. Piggy's wheeker is broken too. That's what we call it anyway! Every now and again a real wheek squeaks out and it startles everyone, including Mr. Piggy. I don't know why. He seems mostly healthy otherwise, other than being 7 years old. He's going to the vet on Monday for possible heart issues.

Hope pretty Purdie gets her wheek back soon!

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Trick

Post   » Tue Aug 11, 2009 4:39 pm


We think we may have heard Purdie wheek a couple of times, I'm keeping my fingers crossed. She has a higher pitched wheek than the others, and if it is back it's definitely not back properly but I'm hoping maybe she did just strain her voice after all.

I'll keep you all updated!

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Trick

Post   » Fri Aug 14, 2009 8:30 am


Her wheek is definitely back! She gave me a good yelling at yesterday in anticipation of her lettuce and I've been grinning like a loon ever since.

After all the health troubles I've battled through with my girlie pigs I'm not sure why this little thing got me down so much, but I'm just delighted to hear her not so dulcet tones again!

Fourboys4now

Post   » Fri Aug 14, 2009 9:32 am


Yay Purdie! She is one of my favorite piggies on this forum. Something about her always make me smile.

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Trick

Post   » Sat Mar 03, 2012 3:47 pm


Hi folks :)

Up until the last couple of months, Purdie has been completely healthy since my last post on this thread.

She's lost a lot of weight (down from 2lb 3oz to 1lb 6oz) and her chin and front is frequently wet. Both her and Gracie have lost a little weight which I assume is down to age but with Purdie I immediately thought it was a teeth problem.

Jon took her to the vet to get her teeth checked and she was given the okay after her front teeth were filed a little. For a week or so Purdie was actually fine, not damp at all. But now the wetness is back, and I'm thinking perhaps the vet didn't check her back teeth properly (from how Jon has described it).

We're going to take Purdie back to the vets to get her back teeth checked properly, and we've been giving her extra critical care for the past couple of months to keep her weight fairly steady - she has no lack of appetite, bless.

My questions are a) if it is her back teeth and given Purdie is incredibly squirmy, does a trim require sedation? She is very light and coming up for 5 and a half years old - with very bad genes! b) if it isn't her back teeth, what else could it be?

Purdie is completely blind now (which hasn't been a problem), has interstitial cystitis (managed by diet), a growth on her eye (been there for over a year without change, doesn't bother her as she can't see), and the really bad genes of an overbred Merino pig (curly Texel x Coronet cross). Aside from all that(!) she is a happy wee thing who shrieks her head off for the evening veggies.

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